| Present Arms | |
| Series Christmas Night with the Stars, Episode 1 | |
| Air Date | 25th December 1968 |
| Written by | Jimmy Perry and David Croft |
| Director | David Croft |
| Producer | David Croft |
| Length | 5 to 10 minutes |
| Original Audience Figures | Unknown |
| Previous episode | N/A |
| Next episode | Resisting the Aggressor Down the Ages |
| List of episodes | |
Present Arms (sometimes referred to as Untitled Sketch due to the lack of an 'official' title) is the first Christmas Night with the Stars mini-episode (or 'insert') of Dad's Army, which was originally transmitted on Wednesday 25th December 1968. It is currently missing from the BBC archives, though the soundtrack was recovered in 2008.
Synopsis[]
It is Christmas, but Mainwaring cannot forget his sense of duties—specially when GHQ come up with an exercise idea using telegraph poles...
Plot[]
It is Christmas Day 1940, and Mainwaring cannot drop his sense of duty for even one day. He orders his men to come on parade and Wilson, being more relaxed about the whole affair, says they can wear "civvies" (civilian clothes); however, Mainwaring is not best pleased with his sergeant's sudden burst of decision making.
The men all arrive dressed as Father Christmas, with various reasons why. Mainwaring views this as proof that they cannot be seen to let discipline drop for one moment.
GHQ has come up with an idea of using telegraph poles as a means of exercise, and Mainwaring runs through the instructions with his men. As usual, he overlooks the age of some of them—particularly when he shouts 'jump' at the aged Godfrey and expects him to sit cross-legged on the floor. Eventually, Mainwaring is forced to show them how it is done, but is saved by the bell as the Major phones through to the office with his seasonal greetings.
Mainwaring returns to the hall and delivers a speech which shows how confident he is regarding the outcome of the war. In return, the men show their respect and affection for him as they wish each other a Merry Christmas.
Notes[]
- This insert is currently missing from the BBC's television archives after the master transmission tapes were wiped for reuse. In addition to this insert, there are three full-length Dad's Army episodes still missing from the archives (The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker, Under Fire and A Stripe for Frazer. Another Christmas Night with the Stars insert, The Cornish Floral Dance, is also missing. However, in November 2008, the soundtrack of this insert was returned to the BBC, along with the soundtrack to A Stripe for Frazer.
- Present Arms shares its name with the radio episode special, However, the radio episode's plot is a fusion of the special Battle of the Giants! and the series one episode Shooting Pains.